appraise

verb

ap·​praise ə-ˈprāz 

appraised; appraising

transitive verb

1

: to set a value on : to estimate the amount of

appraise the damage

2

: to evaluate the worth, significance, or status of

especially : to give an expert judgment of the value or merit of

appraise an actor's career

appraisee

ə-ˌprā-ˈzē 

noun

appraisement

ə-ˈprāz-mənt 

noun

appraiser noun

appraisive

ə-ˈprā-ziv 

adjective

Synonyms of appraise

• assess
• estimate
• value
• evaluate

Choose the Right Synonym for appraise

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance.

estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out.

estimated the crowd at two hundred

appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment.

having their house appraised

evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary.

evaluate a student's work

value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment.

a watercolor valued by the donor at $500

rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values.

a highly rated restaurant

assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action.

officials are trying to assess the damage

Examples of appraise in a Sentence

The ring must be appraised by a jeweler before it can be insured.

appraise the house and property

What is the property's appraised value?

In the book, he appraises Hollywood's recent films and contrasts them with several independent films.

Recent Examples on the Web

The assessor's office is responsible for appraising every piece of real estate in Cook County to determine its fair value, which in turn helps determine its share of the county's overall tax burden. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026

Oxford Diamonds appraised the necklace at $75,000, the Goldin website states. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026

But the midfielder is also brutally honest in appraising himself. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026

Mitchell said the city has not formally appraised the site. —Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English appraysen, probably from Anglo-French *appreiser, from a- (from Latin ad-) + preiser to prize, praise

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for appraise

• ablaze
• airways
• allays
• always
• amaze
• anglaise
• archways
• arrays
• ashtrays
• assays
• ballets
• berets

Kids Definition

appraise

verb

ap·​praise ə-ˈprāz 

appraised; appraising

1

: to set a value on

2

: to judge how good someone or something is

appraisement

-mənt 

noun

appraiser noun

Legal Definition

appraise

transitive verb

ap·​praise ə-ˈprāz 

appraised; appraising

: to estimate the value of : make an appraisal of

appraiser noun